Archive for July 2010

Counterfeit antibiotics without the power to cure bacterial infections were seized at Abuja airport. A report published yesterday in The Hindu Business Line, a Chennai-based business journal, described an incident in which a counterfeit version of V.S. International’s ciprofloxacin, believed to have originated in China, was seized by Nigeria’s regulatory authority, The National Agency for…

When you’re sick, taking the right medicine is almost as important as finding a good doctor. But what if the medicine is fake? A black market in counterfeit or low-quality drugs is fast becoming the world’s newest health hazard.

The Coalition Against Fake Medicines, a group of public and private institutions whose aim is to rid the Philippines of counterfeit drugs, recently called the country’s slow judicial process a major factor in the rise of phony medicines. The Coalition, which includes the Philippines’ Department of Health and Pfizer, recently held a press conference to…

Health Canada, the country’s national health agency, recently warned consumers about the potential dangers of purchasing prescription drugs at www.GlobalPharmacyCanada.com. Health Canada cautions that the site is not a licensed Canadian pharmacy, and that it has not authorized the products sold by the website, according to a release from the health agency. The company behind…

A team of researchers recently received a grant to help them develop anti-counterfeiting technology to combat the growing problem of phony medicines. The Wellcome Trust, a global charity, granted the researchers from King’s College in London £473,000 to help them create a system that can identify counterfeit drugs and substandard medications. The team will be…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently warned women not to use unapproved intrauterine devices (IUDs), a form of birth control, in part because they can potentially be counterfeited. The FDA reminded health professionals in a July 22 letter that unapproved IUDs may be ineffective and unsafe. In the letter, the FDA said it…

Counterfeit drugs may be on the rise in the Pacific Northwest, posing a serious health risk to those who depend on prescription medications. Some pharmaceutical industry experts say that the production of counterfeit drugs is a growing rapidly and America’s northwest region is one of the main places where this is occurring, reports KIRO radio.…

Municipal authorities in Sierra Leone are being accused of issuing licenses to drug peddlers who may deal in counterfeit drugs. The Freetown City Council is allegedly licensing the medication vendors who walk the streets of the area, according to Awoko, a Sierra Leone newspaper. The accusations were made at summit held by the Anti Corruption…

The obstacles in the way of providing quality healthcare to many Africans are numerous. The cost of such care, the difficulty of spreading medical information and the challenge of providing care in remote areas are just some of the problems plaguing Africa. But one of the most important matters that healthcare providers in Africa face…

A water expert at an American company that recently began operations in Nigeria has said that by improving water quality, the country could reduce its need for medications and, as a consequence, limit the exposure of its residents to counterfeit drugs. James Miller, a water expert and managing director of Pure & Secure Water, spoke…